The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-11-12
"SLERTovER."
ExehAnrN.

Exchange.
 A Russian chemist is reported to have invented a gunpowder which, If 1t Is as successful In actual warfare as 1t has been In tho preliminary ex- periments, promises to revolMtionise tho science of International carnage by doing away with heavy artillery alto gether. Ordinary gunpowder and gun cotton explode by expanding with great force, either simultaneously in all directions or downward, and as a result tho guns from which tho pro- lectiles are to be forced must bc made of metal thick enough and strong enough to resist the power of the OK pansion. Hence. heavy cannon rcquir- ing bulky carriages and great power to move them are absolute requisites to an army using heavy ammunition In it's operations, and tho artillery has become in many eases most import ant branch of the army In the field Heavy artillery, however, can only be moved slowly and with great ditli- eulty. and In case of mountainous TO- gions 1t Is almost impossible to make it effective for an invading force on account of the natural impedimcnts to it's progress. Tho Russian inventor, ii his discovery provcs to be what it is claimed, has solved the problem of making heavy shells and balls availa- ble without the use of weighty and bulky guns.
 The new explosive, says tho New York Times, Is called "sleetover," and its composition for tho present Is u secret known only to the discovercr and the war office at St. Petersburg. The pcculmrity of the compound Is that 1t explodes by expanding In one direction only, and that the direction in which the projcctilc is to be cavr!e,! forward. No heavy metal gun Ia required to resist its expansion. either upward, downward, or on either side, Is force is expended directly in front, where it has nothing but air to en- counter, and its explosive power can be made equal. If not superior. to that of gunpowder and gun cotton, so thnt n projcctilc can be sent by It as far as by tho use of either of these expio- sivcs. IL k said that an experiment was made with a cardboard tube, and that n heavy proicctile was shot from 1t by means of the "sleetover" without doing material damage to the tube. This experiment, of course, was de- signed to show how light n material might be used In constructing the "slectovcr" guns, and there k no im- mediate prospect of ltussia's arminR her artillery with cardboard tubes, but aluminium guns, or tubes or some other light metal, which can be cnsily transported on tho shoulders of men, are designed for use with the new cx- plosive, and tho Russian officers have great faith that they will rnswcr every purpose now served by the heavy artillery of the army.
 The revolution which this invention will make In the science of war, II all that Is claimed for it k demonst rated by actual experiment, will be under stood by every soldier. The heavy gun carriages which cannot bc dragged through mountain passes will be dis carded, and sturdy men will shoulder the aluminium guns and carry them easily into places which have hitherto been inaccessible to the artillery of an enemy. A the heavy transportation necessary to bc done will be that of the balls and other projcctilcs, and these can bc carried In small loads with comparative ease. The dangers from the explosion of heavy cannon, when subjected to too great a strain, will be done away with, as "slccto yer" pushes only to the front, and requires the exercise of no resistance from the tubc in which it expiodes. Tine Hupe- riority of the new powder will be seen in mnny ways, if the claims ofitA discoverer are established, and Russia, 50 long as she can keep the secret of its composition, will have great adyant- age over her military neighbors. Such secrets ns this, however, it k pleasant to reflect, are not usually kept long, and 1t will be very strs ngc if Germany and other warlikc powers in Europe are not able to manufacture their own "slectover' before the armies of the czar are prepared to make A practical use oi the new explosive.